Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1887-06-22
60 lind an eager crowd gathered outside.

The news or their gong had gOt ABROAD:
and everybody was running down to hear the
truth of it. Such an event as a departure
out of Pretoria had not happened for couple
of months and more, and the excitement was
proportionate to its novelty.
u say, Mel, is it true you are goingW
hallooed out burly farmer.
"How the deuce did you get passl" put in
another man with face like weasel He
was what is known as "Boer vernuker"
literally "Boer cheater'o, that is, travel
ing trader whose business it is to beguile the
simple minded Dutchman by selling him
worthless goods at five times their cost. 81
have loads Of friends among the Beers.
There is hardly Boer in the Transvaal who
does not know me"-cTo his COST" put in
bystander, with grunt-"and yet I have
tried all know"-rAnd you know good
DEAL" said the same rude man)-"and I can't
get pass"
@You don't suppose those poor Beers are
going to let you out when once they have got
you in!" went on the tormentor. "Why,
man, it's against human nature. You've got
all their wool; now do you think they want
you to have their skin tooa"
Whereupon the weasel faced individual
gave howl Of wrath, and pretended TO mako
rush at the author OF these random gibes,
waiting half way for somebody to stop him
and prevent breach of the peace.
"Oh, Miss Croft" cried out q woman in
the crowd, who, like jess, had been trapped IN
Pretoria while on flying visit, 'f you can
get line down to my husband at Maritz.
burg, to tell him that am well, except for
<ho ,1op oil ba
ground; and tell him to kiss the twins for
me-"
II say, Mel, tell those Beers that we will
give them a ID. good hiding yet, when
Colley relieves u.s." sung out jolly young
Englshman in the uniform Of the Pretoria
carbineers He little knew that poor Colley
kind hearted English gentleman that he
was-was sleeping peacefully under six
feet Of ground with Boer bullet through his
brain.
Now, Capt. Mel. il you are ready, we
must trek" said one Of the Beers, in Dutch,
suiting the action to the word by catching
the near wheeler sharp cut with his riding
sjambock that made him jump nearly out
Of the traces.
Away started the horses with a plunge,
scattering the crowd to the right and left,
and amid volley of farewe!ls they were off
upon their homeward journey.
For more than All hour nothing particular
happened. John drove OH at fair pace, and
the two Beers cantered along behind. At the
end of this time, however, just as they were
approaching the Red House. where Frank
Muller had obtained the pass from the general
on the previous dag, one of the Beers rode up
and told them, roughly enough, that they
were to outspan at the house, where they
would get some food. As it was past o'clock
they were by no means sorry to hear this, and
accordingly John drew up the cart about
fifty yards from the place and they proceeded
to get the horses out, and, having watched
them roll and drink, proceeded to the house.
The two Beers, who had also ofsaddled,
were already sitting on the veranda, and
when jess looked inquiringly toward them,
one Of them pointed with his pipe toward
the little room. Taking the hint they entered,
some food upon the table.
"Here is dinner; let us eat it," said John;
goodness knows when we shall get any
more" and, accordingly, he sat down.
AS he did so the two Beers came in, and
one of them made some sneering remark that
made the other look at them and laugh in
sultingly.
John flushed up. but took no notice In
deed, he thought it safest not, for to tell the
truth, he did not much like the appearance of
these two worthless One Of them was big,
smooth, pasty faced man, with a peculiarly
villainous expression Of countenance and a
prominent tooth that projected in ghastly
isolation over his lower lip. The other was
small man, with sardonic smile and pro.
fusion of black beard and whiskers on his
face, and long hair hanging on his shoulders.
Indeed, when lie smiled more vigorously than
usual, his eyebrows came down and his
whiskers advanced, and his mustache went
up till there was scarcely any face left, and
he looked more like great bearded monkey
than a man. This man was a Boer of the
widest type from the far borders Of Zout-
pansberg, and did not understand word OF
English. jess nicknamed him the Wider
beeSte, from his likeness to that ferocious
looking and hairy animal The other man,
on the contrary, understood English perfectly,
for he had passed many years of his life in
Natal, having left that colony on account of
some little indiscretion about thrashing Kaf-
frs that had brought him into collision with
the penal laws. Him jess named the Uni
corn, on account of his one cleaning tusk.
The Unicorn was all unusually pious man,
and on arriving at the table he, to Johns as
tonishment, gently but firmly grasped the
knife with which he was about to cut the
meat.
"What's the matter?" said John.
The Boer shook his head sadly. mo won
der you English are All accursed race, and
have been given over into our hands as the
great king Agag was given into the hands Of
the Israeltes, so that we have hewed you to
pieces. You sit down to meat and give no
thanks to the dear Lord" and he threw back
his head and sung out q portentously long
Dutch grace through his nose. Not content
with that. he set to work to translate it into
English, which took good time; nor was the
rendering very finished one in the result.
The Vilderbseste grinned sardoncally and
put in pious "Amen," and then at last they
were allowed to proceed with their dinner,
which, on the whole, was not pleasant one
But then they could not expect much pleasure
under the circums stances, so they just ate
their food and made the best of a bad job
After all, it might have been worse; they
might have had no dinner to eat.